Ladies Guide on Wine Lingo

Wine is a good basic everyday drink. A glass with lunch or dinner adds a nice touch, and you don’t have to save it for any special occasion. It provides an enjoyable chance of pace from the beverages that we usually have with food.

Wine is one of the most elegant of human creations. It is unparalleled in enhancing the enjoyment of a fine meal, imparting a spirit or refinement to any occasion, and offering a complexity of character that is unlike that available from any other beverage.

And of course, I drink and love wine because it is good to my health and makes me relax and ease my stress, and helps me to have a lovely sweet dreams.

Check out our guide to the most important words to know when purchasing wine or speaking about it with the sommelier.

Aggressive - A wine with harsh and pronounced flavors. The opposite of a wine described as “smooth” or “soft”.

Aroma - The smell of a wine. The term is generally applied to younger wines, while the term bouquet is reserved for more aged wines.

Austere - A wine that is dominated by harsh acidity or tannin and is lacking the fruit needed to balance those components.

Body - The sense of alcohol in the wine and the sense of feeling in the mouth.

Buttery - A wine that has gone through malolactic fermentation and has a rich, creamy mouth feel with flavors reminiscent of butter.

Cassis - The French term for the flavors associated with black currant. In wine tasting, the use of cassis over black currant typically denotes a more concentrated, richer flavor.

Cedar wood - A collective term used to describe the woodsy aroma of a wine that has been treated with oak.

Chocolaty - A term most often used of rich red wines such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot noir that describes the flavors and mouth feel associated with chocolate--typically dark.

Closed - A wine that is not very aromatic.

Depth- A term used to denote a wine with several layers of flavor. An aspect of complexity.

Earthy - A wine with aromas and flavor reminiscent of earth, such as forest floor or mushrooms. It can also refer to the drying impression felt on the palate caused by high levels of geosmin that occur naturally in grapes.

Fat - A wine that is full in body and has a sense of viscosity.

Finish - The sense and perception of the wine after swallowing.

Jammy - A wine that is rich in fruit but maybe lacking in tannins.

Leathery - A red wine high in tannins, with a thick and soft taste.

Legs - The tracks of liquid that cling to the sides of a glass after the contents have been swirled. Often said to be related to the alcohol or glycerol content of a wine. Also called tears.

Meaty - A wine with a rich, full body that gives the drinker the impression of being able to “chew” it.

Midpalate - A tasting term for the feel and taste of a wine when held in the mouth.

Musky- Can be used in both a positive and negative connotation relating to the earthy musk aroma in the wine. Typically positive in relation to wines from the Muscat grape family.

Nose- A tasting term for the aroma, smell or bouquet of a wine.

Oaky- A wine with a noticeable perception of the effects of oak. This can include the sense of vanilla, sweet spices like nutmeg, a creamy body and a smoky or toasted flavor.

Palate - A tasting term for the feel and taste of a wine in the mouth.

Polished- A wine that is very smooth to drink, with no roughness in texture and mouth-feel. It is also well balanced.

Short - A wine with well develop aromas and mouth-feel but has a finish that is little to non-existent due to the fruit quickly disappearing after swallowing.

Spicy- A wine with aromas and flavors reminiscent of various spices such as black pepper and cinnamon. While this can be a characteristic of the grape varietal, many spicy notes are imparted from oak influences.

Undertone- The more subtle nuances, aromas and flavors of wine.

Unoaked - Also known as unwooded, refers to wines that have been matured without contact with wood/oak such as in aging barrels.

Zesty - A wine with noticeable acidity and usually citrus notes.

Zippy - A wine with noticeable acidity that is balanced with enough fruit structure so as to not taste overly acidic.

ON SERVING WINE

At home the host assumes the duty of wine waiter. All the wine should be opened in advance – It’s more convenient anyway – and the wines tasted to make sure they’re all right. Some people insist on opening wine way in advance of the meal, in order to let “it breathe.” It’s a charming idea, but has absolutely no scientific basis whatsoever.

There is a difference between breathing and decanting, which is useful for very young wines as well as older ones. Young red wines can benefit from exposure from oxygen, which they get from being poured with some vigour into a decanter, or even a pitcher; this can soften the tannin a bit. Older wines may be have some harmless but gritty sediment as a result of aging. To let the sediment fall to the bottom, the bottle should be stood upright for at least a day, then opened and carefully poured into a decanter until sediments starts to show in the flow. The ounce or so of wine that’s left in the bottle is discarded. This should be done right before the meal, so the wine will taste its best – old wines can fade after a shirt time.

The usual sequence of wine service for a meal of several courses is generally based on intensity of flavour and character, as well as the occasion. Depending on the accompanying food, it is white wine before red, young before old, light before heavy, dry before sweet, and minor before fine or rare.

Why do you drink wine? What made you have an interest to learn more about wine?

Great post! I love wine but I really don't know anything about it, its quite embarrassing. If I go out and I want a glass of wine I just say "can I have a glass of red wine that's not yuck and dry" ha ha ha

LOL I love your honesty and it gives the server the exact wine you want. That's cool.

Actually in learning about wine, these words are just our guide, but it doesn't limits to words. Sometimes we describe the exact taste through mentioning the experience and story, and there is nothing wrong with it.

You can say that "I want wine that taste like a kiss of midnight in Florence." The sommelier knows and understand what you mean.

What a wonderful, user friendly guide for wine lovers. I like wine, but I am not familiar with the whole terminology, so thank you for this insight. How would you describe a white whine that is smooth, the oposite of oaky? not too bitter?

That is wonderful. The good thing about wine is that you can create your own definition according to your style. These words are just guides, but you can describe your favorite wine on your own way and experience.

I couldn't agree more, wine should not be saved for special occassions, just indulge in a little glass whenever you are in the mood for it! I love red at winter, full bodied and heart warming! Lovely, very informative post Blair!

I thought I knew my wine lingo but it turns out that I was wrong! I knew about cassis and body but I had no idea that legs was a lingo term for wine as well. I have always wanted to go for wine tasting, the closest to that is when I went to a seven course vegetarian meal and we had 'wine pairings which were delicious !

I am not much into alcohol but when I drink I pick only wine. That ways I can call myself a wine lover but I know very little about it. Your post helped me know a few new things about wine. Thanks for sharing. Do drop by my blog as well : http://styleovercoffee.com :)

Those are definitely wine terms that I have heard. But they don't make enough sense unless you know what they mean to you individually. Catching the tones or tannens of the drink is so important and knowing how to distinguish.

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